"Have you ever questioned why you-or someone close to you-froze, went numb, or seemed to shut down in the midst of trauma? Maybe you've replayed the moment, asking, "Why didn't I fight back? Why didn't I run?" Or perhaps you've noticed that, even long after the event, your brain and body react to reminders as if the danger is happening all over again."
"When your brain detects danger, it flips a switch: survival mode. Suddenly, digestion, complex thinking, and even speech are dialed down. The prefrontal cortex (PFC)-the part of your brain responsible for planning, reasoning, and self-control -goes offline. All available energy is rerouted to immediate reaction. The phrase "fight or flight" gets thrown around a lot, but it's often misunderstood. Originally, it described a physiological state: Your sympathetic nervous system floods your body with adrenaline, prepping you to react ( Hopper, 2021)."
Trauma activates an organism-wide survival mode that suppresses digestion, complex thinking, and speech while impairing the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The brain reroutes energy to primitive defensive circuits, producing freezing, submission, or dissociation as adaptive responses based on learned reflexes and habits. The common expectation of fight-or-flight overlooks the prevalence of immobility and shutdown during assault. Posttraumatic stress disorder reflects a failure of neural systems to deactivate the alarm, causing persistent reactivity to reminders. Evidence-based PTSD treatments work by restoring the brain's capacity to modulate threat responses and re-engage higher-order cognitive control.
Read at Psychology Today
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